After four days and a couple hundred miles with the Duet, I feel like I have a handle on this solidly-built Kickstarter project. Duet, the brainchild of Antsy Labs, consists of connected charging stands for both your lightning-charged phone (iPhone 5 and beyond) and your Apple Watch. Constructed of solid aluminum, the stands are sturdy, lightweight, and well-balanced. The watch stand is separate from the phone stand, but connects to the side of the phone charger base with rare earth magnets. Both the phone charger and watch stand can be used alone, and each requires a charge cable for use. A pair of nanotechnology adhesive strips on the bottom do a great job preventing slippage.
The stands perform as advertised, charging both my iPhone 5s and my Apple Watch while keeping the touch screens accessible. Since the watch stand uses the charger included with the Apple Watch, the magnet holds the watch in place and releases easily. I used the watch stand alone while traveling, and even on uneven surfaces, the stand stayed balanced and upright. The adhesive strips stick to smooth surfaces well and release with moderate pressure. The prototype unit I received has neodymium magnets to link the stands together, and while powerful, I already cast my vote to make them slightly stronger in the production model. Kickstarter backers can also choose Silver, Space Grey, or Gold finish.
Overall, I am quite pleased with the Duet and how well it keeps my gadgets accessible and charged while maintaining the same aesthetic as my other Apple products. The Kickstarter is already live, and at the time of publication, they haven’t quite reached their funding goal. With the campaign open until June 8th, there’s still plenty of time to pledge your support. Antsy Labs also has a Facebook page or you can follow them on Twitter.
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Disclaimer: Antsy Labs sent me a prototype unit for review.
